Production Line

March '07

Feature Article from Hemmings Muscle Machines

Mustang Wagon, anyone?
Ford's next pony car: available in sedan and wagon form?

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The Mustang is such a hit for Ford that the company allegedly wants to expand the model into sedan and wagon models.
Following Chevy's lead with the Holden-developed Camaro, Ford's new Mustang chassis is said to be developed in Australia as well; Ford Australia is still producing rear-drive performance sedans under the old Falcon moniker and has some expertise in the matter. An independent rear suspension and a far lighter curb weight are said to be on the want-list for the new car. The solid-axle 2005 Mustang weighed 150 pounds more than the previous generation car did.
Already there has been much public wringing of hands over the proposal. Pro-Mustang sedan/wagon advocates point to the success of the Dodge Charger, which, despite enthusiast grumbling, had traditionally been a coupe before its 2005 relaunch as a sedan. The Magnum made wagons cool and mainstream again. A decade before these, the Impala SS softened the American market up to the notion that a four-door muscle car-type vehicle was not only feasible, but desirable. And the Mustang name is legendary, perhaps better known worldwide than the Blue Oval itself.
Detractors say that the Mustang is so desirable because it's stood for the same thing all these years: a sporty 2+2 coupe (or convertible) with good power, sexy styling and good value for the money. They also point to Thunderbird and Cougar deviating from their sporty coupe origins--the T-Bird becoming a bloated four-door with suicide doors in the late '60s, and the Cougar offering a sedan and wagon variant in the late '70s. Neither body style was a success, and both of Ford's illustrious brands are now laid to rest. Other companies have expanded their popular nameplates to confusing effect: half of Oldsmobile's lineup used the Cutlass name in the late '80s (Cutlass Supreme, Cutlass Classic, Cutlass Ciera, Cutlass Calais). Olds is no longer in business.
This isn't the first time Mustang news has caused controversy. The Mustang faithful rose up in the '80s when it was announced that the next Mustang would be front-wheel-drive and made such a hue and cry that the rear-drive Mustang was retained and the front-driver was christened Probe. Two generations of this model lasted from 1989-'97.
While Ford has issued a press release vehemently denying the notion of a sedan or a wagon-variant Mustang in their future, the company also offered up the Interceptor show car at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.
Interceptor is a four-door sedan based on the Mustang platform. Lincoln is said to have a similar concept (i.e., a sedan based on next-generation Mustang architecture) in the works. More on these, as well as all of the other hot new concepts and production cars, in next month's Production Line.
Open-air Camaro
The new "proposed" Chevrolet Camaro is supposed to hit the streets in 2009. General Motors Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner has been seen driving an early prototype at some recent automotive events.
And now, Chevrolet continues to be the talk of Detroit with the introduction of this convertible concept with stripes similar to the 1969 Z/28 of yesteryear. The new concept is gorgeous in orange pearl tri-coat paint with twin gunmetal-gray sport stripes, which is a color scheme that debuted on the 1969 car. Even though Chevrolet is probably GM's strongest-selling division at the moment, DaimlerChrysler's introduction of another famous orange car, the new Dodge Challenger, is supposed to become reality next year. Despite beating GM to market, the new top gun Camaro is slated to get the 400hp V-8 used in the now-defunct GTO.
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This article originally appeared in the March, 2007 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines.